Empty House
by BendyStrawBunny
Summary: Remus Lupin reflects on the first time he visited Hogwarts


Hello, Hello readers! This fic requires a bit of explaining soo, basically this was for a challenge site Inspiration 2.0 For the challenge you were given a quote from a random book and you wrote whatever you were inspired to do. This was my quote:  
  
I wasn't running now. I mean, what was the rush to return to the empty house? It was very late and I was numb - more with fright than with the cold (although it wasn't warm, believe me). From several yards off, I thought I saw someone sitting the top of the steps. This had to be my eyes playing tricks, because the figure was motionless. ( [C] Erich Segal - Love Story)  
  
The "empty house" made me think of the Shrieking Shack, and so I wrote a past-Hogwarts fic about good ol' Moony. Enjoy!  
  
Title: Empty House  
  
Author: BendyStrawBunny (ragettizepirate on LJ)   
  
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"Hey Remus, you coming man?"  
  
"Nah.. I'll catch up with you guys later.."  
  
James stopped in the doorway and frowned, "Oh come on, Moony, you can do your work tomorrow."  
  
A tall figure appeared behind James and dunked his head down, the figure leaned on his back, staring at Remus. "Yeah! What can be more important then hanging out with your best pals, huh?" Sirius laughed as James struggled against him, trying to stand back up.   
  
Remus smiled and gestured towards a great number of books that were piled on his bed, "I have to get this homework done, and you guys should too, you know."   
  
Sirius let out a playful scoff, "Me? Homework?"   
  
He let up on James, who quickly punched Sirius on the shoulder. "You come find us when you're done, Moony!"  
  
"Yeah, if you find us in one piece!" yelled Sirius, holding up a small bag of what appeared to be fireworks.   
  
The duo dashed down the dormitory steps, leaving Remus with his piles and piles of books. He sighed and walked past them, settling on the bench in front of a window that over-looked the grounds of Hogwarts.  
  
He gazed outside, with his head resting against the glass. His eyes traveled from the Forbidden Forest, to the lake, and finally to a massive tree, some ways down the lawn.   
  
The trees limbs swayed back and forth in the wind, and the steady motion took Remus' thoughts away from the present, as he was swept into a memory.   
  
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A young Remus stood in awe of the single biggest building he had ever seen in his entire life. He would have stayed there as long as his legs would permit if he hadn't been pulled away by his arms and ushered up the large stone steps leading into the castle.   
  
He was even more amazed at the interior as he was dragged through the entrance hall and to the door of an office a few floors up.   
  
Before any of the adults that were standing around him could lift a hand to knock the large wooden door, it opened seemingly of its own accord, and a calm but loud voice called out "Welcome, come in, come in!"  
  
Remus was, once again, taken by the arm and then pulled into the room. There was a long desk in the middle of the circular office with three chairs aligned in front of it. Remus' parents sat on either side of the second chair, and Remus himself stayed near the door, hesitant to sit down.  
  
A tall man with warm eyes and long gray hair stood up from behind the desk "Remus, do sit down." he smiled at the boy, who quickly took a seat between his parents.   
  
Remus folded his arms tightly and looked around at the portraits that covered almost the entire wall-space in the room. When he raised his hand to push back his dark hair his arm was revealed to have several large gashes across them, and without the stray hair blocking his face even more cuts could be seen, running down his cheeks and even going down his neck.   
  
The first one to speak was Remus' mother. "Professor Dumbledore, we just want to thank you so much for--"  
  
Dumbledore turned his gaze towards her and shook his head lightly, "You're quite welcome, really, Mrs. Lupin. Now.." He paused and walked slowly to the window on left the side of the room. "I'd like to show Remus the newest addition to the Hogwarts grounds."  
  
Remus took that as a cue, and pushed away from his chair to join Dumbledore at the window.   
  
After Dumbledore explained the purpose of the newly planted Whomping Willow, Remus stared intently at the tree and his mind started to wander, only half-hearing the conversation that was taking place between his parents and the professor.  
  
So he was to spend one night a month in an old decaying shack in a town near Hogwarts. It would seem very unpleasant to any other 11-year old, but to Remus it was like a dream come true. He was finally going to get to go to school. He was going to have great teachers, and make so many friends--  
  
His happy thought stopped as he turned around and found himself staring at a reflection of himself. His cuts and bruises brought him crashing back down to earth. What kid would want to be the friend of him? Of a werewolf? He sighed and followed his parents out of the office in silence.   
  
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Remus was saved from his melancholy thoughts as he saw James and Sirius dash across the lawn being chased by a rather unhappy looking teacher whose hair looked like it had been alight.   
  
Remus laughed and actually started working on his homework.  
  
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By that night Remus' depressed mood had returned, and it was with a heavy heart that he made his way down the stone steps and across the sweeping lawn, the grass crunching under his feet, as he drew closer to the Whomping Willow. He walked slowly, he didn't see much of a point in hurrying.   
  
James and Sirius had come back to the dormitory that afternoon both in stitches over the prank they had successfully pulled on the Charms professor. Even the fact that they had earned themselves three weeks worth of detention didn't seem to bring them down.   
  
"Oh, Moony, the look on his face when the piece of chalk in his hand exploded in a million pieces," Sirius had exclaimed, who was red in the face from laughing.   
  
They tried to get Remus to go to dinner with them (to see if the poor bloke had any hair left) but they had quickly realized their mistake when they saw the look on Remus' face.   
  
Remus would have given up any thing in the world to have been able to go to dinner with them, to share their laughter and delight, to forget what he was for just awhile, but in the back of his mind he could feel the sun setting and the moon rising. He was destined for a night of pain and loneliness.   
  
Remus now stopped several yards away from the tree and as he searched the ground for a stray branch with which to press the knot he heard footsteps behind him. Remus froze half through standing up, and his heart started to pound wildly against his chest. Had someone seen him heading for the Willow? Had someone figured out his secret? He knew his three best friends had figured it out, but who else had?   
  
He stood up slowly and turned around. What he saw amazed him.   
  
James, Sirius, and Peter stood in front of him, all with wide grins spread across their faces. "We did it." James said.   
  
Remus stared at them with a confused look on his face, "Did.. did what?" he asked.   
  
Sirius stepped forward and grabbed Remus' shoulder affectionately, "Figured out how to make your life a hell of a lot better, mate." As soon as the words left his mouth his body started to shrink and Remus stared in wonder as Sirius he knew was replaced by a large black shaggy dog, who was happily panting.   
  
Remus looked up and saw that James and Peter were gone too, a elegant looking stag and a small fuzzy rat in their places.   
  
Remus' own mouth quickly broke into a wide grin as the reality of what his friends had done for him dawned on him. He would never have to be lonely again.  
  
This night was turning out a lot better then he had thought. 


End file.
